Happy New Year!

Wow, another year behind us.  2013 provided us with many wonderful memories. We are blessed with three beautiful children who keep me on my toes and humble.  Throughout the year, I've learned to pick and choose my battles, that mud doesn't stain,  I should have bought stock in Crayola and that parenting is the toughest job out there.  I am grateful for my family and friends who support us each day.  I wish everyone a blessed and prosperous 2014!

Weatherwax Christmas

 The Weatherwax's came to our house to see the kids gifts and for a Christmas morning brunch.  This is a great pic of Aunt Bec with the girls.

 Later, we headed over to Mom and Dad's house.  The girls got clip on chairs so that Saige and Kit could join us for our meals. 

 I love Sage's face as he opened up this gift - its hard work!

 As you know, the Weatherwax men keep their yards in tip-top shape.  Little Sage isn't too far behind.  He loves watching his Daddy and I think he will be helping out more and more this summer!

Being the butter loving family that we are, the butter often gets sculpted by either Sage or Kate.  This was too cute not to post.

Our Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas...  Cookies, carrots and milk are set out for Santa.  Obviously, Santa wouldn't mind if Sage ate one of his cookies.

 The girls went right to bed and "didn't even talk" so Santa would come visit.

  A great action shot of Sage coming down the stairs - it's a cool hair shot too - vavava-voom!



I love seeing their excitement on Christmas morning.  Emma came down the stairs screaming "Mommy, you got a bike. You got a bike."  I told her that the bike was too small for me and that I thought it was for her and her response was; "Mommy, I got a bike I got a bike!"

Sage and his new digger.  Sage also got some new clothes, yard tools, and of course trucks.

Ah, the only thing that Kate wanted for Christmas - the Saige American Doll!  Yeah!  She also got some Hello Kitty accessories, a lap desk and some clothes.

Emma and the travel suitcase for Kit - the main item she was hoping for.  Emma also got a new bike, clothes, gym shoes, and new books.

This year at school Emma went to the Gingerbread Store to buy us gifts.  Daddy got an awesome hat.  Emma bought me a spatula with a reindeer on it to make chip dip.  Kate got a squishy ball and Sage a football.  She was so excited to give the gifts to us!

 

The gifts and presents are always fun, but being together as a family is what really matters. Seeing the excitement of the children and celebrating Jesus' Birthday are the best.  And as a parent, it marks the sweet conclusion of a chaotic but very rewarding couple of weeks!

Zinser Christmas

 We headed to my parents house the weekend before Christmas.  The kiddos posed in front of the tree while they waited for their cousins to arrive.

 The annual family picture

The annual picture by the stockings.  I opted to post the funny faces.  (James is now super cool in 2nd grade, and he isn't too thrilled about these posed pictures or sitting at the kids table.  Ah the joys of growing up).

 Sage and his new work bench.

 "The doc is in and she'll fix you up!"  Kate wearing her new Doc McStuffin's outfit to go with her check-up center.

Emma is ready to audition for American Idol after receiving this karaoke machine!

 Following the holiday, my parents came up for an overnight.  We had a fun dinner with the ONU basketball girls who live in Columbus and the following day we went to the Franklin Park Conservatory. 


Pencil vs. Candy Cane - an EARfull of a story

Oh, our sweet Kate.  Never a dull moment with our little girl.  So Kate's ear has been occasionally bleeding for a little under a week.  I figured she scratched her ear and she kept aggravating the scab.  So a couple nights ago there was a little bit more blood than expected.  So I took a peek in her ear and couldn't see a whole lot.  Then our conversation went as follows:

Mom: Kate, did you put something in your ear?
Kate:  Guilty-face, non-verbal
Mom:  Kate, what did you put in your ear?
Kate:  It was a pencil.  It hurt, but now it doesn't hurt.  Oh, wait.  Maybe it was a candy cane?  Yeah, I think it was a candy cane.
Mom:  Really Kate?  Are you serious? A candy cane?
Kate:  Guilty-face, non-verbal.

So I put some drops in her ear that I had around the house, and figured that maybe she perforated her eardrum.  I called the doctor and we shared a laugh as I asked them to schedule an appointment for "possible candy cane in the ear."

And after a couple vigorous water irrigations by our favorite nurse Stephanie, the "foreign body" was in sight.  The doc came back in and  used a pair of tweezers and...  A plastic stick-on earring came out.

Mom:  Kate, what is that?
Kate:  Sage did it.

We shared a few good laughs with the staff and Kate enjoyed a popsicle as we walked out of the doctors office.

Never a dull moment in our family.  I had to share this memorable story.

The girls take the stage for Christmas!

We have had a fun week.  On Tuesday night, Emma had her Christmas piano recital.  Emma played "Silent Night," "Holly, Jolly, Christmas," and "Up on the Housetop."  She worked very hard over the past month. We were excited to have our family with us for the performance.

On Wednesday, Kate had her preschool Christmas concert.  It was adorable to say the least!  Here are a couple video clips for your enjoyment.  Emma took the "Jesus Loves Me" video - she joins in for a verse or two.  Kate has been singing "Happy Birthday Jesus" for a few weeks.  I love their excitement at the end. 

There is no better feeling as a parent than feeling proud of your children.  This week has been a prime example.  I enjoy watching them and supporting their practice, but I love seeing their joy after their performances.  Their confidence beams in their smiles and that is so fulfilling as a parent.   I can only imagine how little brother will perform in the upcoming years!  

It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year... Christmas Parties 2014

 Grandma and Grandpa Weatherwax treated us to a fun Breakfast with Santa.  Sage lasted about 10 seconds, so here is his action shot!

 Slowly but surely Sage will learn to enjoy his presence (and presents - haha)!

 The Weatherwax's also hosted their 2nd Christmas party with one very special visitor, Santa!  It was a fun evening with family and friends.  Santa brought everyone treats and the kids had a blast.

We went to the Zoo for their breakfast with Santa.  The kids enjoyed face painting, decorating cookies (Kate LOVES sprinkles), and visiting with Santa.

 Emma is as sweet as candy!

While waiting to get their picture with Santa, the kids enjoyed watching a juggler and a magician.  

My coworker Tina got married on the same day as Zinser Thanksmas, so the children headed to Cincinnati to take part in the festivities.  Here's a great cousin shot before the party.

Another holiday tradition, the kids went to Aunt Rebecca's house for a holiday overnight so John and I could be very productive elves!  Bec took the kids Christmas shopping for John and I, they wrapped the gifts, had a pizza party and had donuts this morning - all of their favorite things to do!

Thanksgiving 2013

 Kate is looking cute at her Thanksgiving feast!  

We traveled to Aunt Donna and Uncle John's home in Nashville for Thanksgiving.  It was a fun weekend being together, and the food was delicious! On Friday, the ladies headed to Franklin for a day of shopping. 

  Kate performed "Wanted" with her cousin Jake, so feel free to check it out:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An8XmVtYUvk. 

 We visited with Johnny, Shana and their little boy Wesley on the way home and even had a post-Thanksgiving dinner with the Zinser family at BW3 on the way through Cincinnati.

Santa visited John and Donna's neighborhood, so we decided to go check it out.  Kate hopped right up on Santa's lap and she asked for the Saige American Girl Doll, Emma asked for some crafts...and this was about as close as Sage would get to him.  He's our little soldier!

We are so blessed!

Flower girl, Hunter Hayes, and a Tractor!

Emma was honored to be a flower girl in our dear friends Tara and Rich's wedding this past weekend.  She looked like a little angel and she had a blast with the other flower girl Addison, and Tara's son Carson.  As a parent, its amazing seeing your child in a wedding.  I think we both fast-forwarded 20+ years to the day when we will see her walk down the isle on her big day! Oh my!

 

Talk about a lucky 4 year old! Aunt Rebecca took Kate to Cleveland for the Hunter Hayes concert.  They had dinner, enjoyed the show and "stayed up really really late."  Bec said that Kate was the youngest one there and she was a crowd favorite with her cute cowboy boots and hat.  Hunter played her favorite songs "Wanted" and "Crazy."

Sage spent Saturday with (Great) Aunt Anna and Uncle Keith.  Uncle Keith has a truck and a tractor so they became instant friends!  Sage told me they went and "dump leaves down there."  The boys also enjoyed watching videos of trucks, boats and excavators on the iPad.  Anna was in heaven as she rocked and sang Sage to sleep Saturday night.  

A special thank you to Rebecca, Anna and Keith for their help with Kate and Sage last weekend during our wedding festivities!  Also, thank you to Grandma's Zinser and Weatherwax for helping watch the kids while Mrs. Dominique was in Hawaii.

Needless to say, this past month has been a whirlwind of fun.  Sometimes overwhelming at times trying to meet everyone's needs and my own to my crazy expectations.  This blog is therapeutic for me because as I post these pictures and reflect on the month's great memories, it makes the late nights and stressful moments all worth it...just to see my three kiddos having a blast and enjoying life.  

Emma's GOLDEN 6th Birthday!

 Emma's birthday week was a big one! She turned 6 on the 6th, thus making this her golden birthday.  She was also selected as the first Very Important Person in her class and she had daily activities at school that were all about her. The week concluded with Emma being a flower girl in Tara and Rich's wedding (pics to follow). 

We had a fun birthday evening with the family.  She received a lot of special gifts - including a gold "E" necklace for her "Golden Birthday" from Grandpa Weatherwax.  A few minutes later she laughed and said to Kate, "You'll be 25 before you have your Golden Birthday."

Happy Birthday to our sweet Emma.  She's my helper, my listener, my nurturer, my sensitive one and forever our little girl. 

Emma's 6 year stats:  57 pounds and 48 inches both in the 90th percentile.
As of her 6th birthday, Emma has lost 7 teeth!

Emma's 6th Birthday Party - a Spa-Tacular event!

 For Emma's birthday party she wanted to be pampered.  With the help of our neighbor Rachel (far Left) and her friends, we transformed our home into Weatherwax Day Spa. 

 Step one - lets eat some pizza!

There were 10 girls to get beautified.  James, Sage and Carson took pictures and provided entertainment!

 Our living room was the Make-up Room.  The girls picked out eye shadow, blush and lip gloss.  They also filled out a paper that I later used to introduce them on how they met Emma and why Emma is a good friend. 

 Our den was the Nail Salon.  The girls soaked their fingertips and picked out polish (most had multiple colors) and also put on glitter and other nail jewels!  A thank you to my coworker Jeanette who's gift to Emma was a lot of fun nail/spa stuff!

 Finally, our sun room was the Hair Station.  The girls had twists, braids, and curls put in to complete their look.  A couple spritzes of smelly stuff and they were all set!

 Say Cheese!

I had to include this darling picture.  In Emma's Kindergarten class there are 5 girls and 13 boys.  In our parent teacher conference, Mrs. Nicastro said what a special bond these 5 already have and how they do everything together at school.  So meet, Tessa, Camille, Sophie, (Emma) and Aami. 

 

The party continues this week for Emma's official birthday!

Halloween

The kids wanted a scary face pumpkin, so here's my best shot at it!  I love how carving a pumpkin starts out as a fun FAMILY activity, but 5 minutes into it, the kids are off playing with their toys.  Kate's "Harvest Party" (formerly known as Halloween Party) was on Wednesday and Emma's was on Thursday. 

Here is my colorful bunch!

With a dreaded 80% chance of rain and 30+mph winds, it was a yucky night for Trick or Treat.  We headed out for an hour.  Since there were not a lot of kids out, our neighbors were very generous and after a few houses their buckets were filled!  Emma's favorite candy is York Peppermint patty,  Kate's is Reese's Cup and Sage's is smarties. 

 

Sage loved walking in the puddles!  He is all boy!